Ice Bar Looks To Cool New Yorkers Off During Heatwave

Summer is here, and for many, that means it’s about to get unacceptably hot. You could cool down by stepping into an establishment blasting the air conditioner, or hopping into a pool. Or, you could go one step further – into a freezer.

The Minus5 ice bar is just that – one giant freezer. And, like any good freezer, it’s loaded with enough booze to get you all warmed up again once you’ve started freezing your pants off.

Minus5 originated in New Zealand, and has just opened up a location in New York on 6th Avenue and 53rd Street. The entire bar is made of ice – everything you sit on, everything you drink from, and everything you can touch – besides other people and the booze, that is. The bar, which is kept at 23 degrees Fahrenheit (-5 degrees Celsius, hence the name), is filled with ice sculptures that are changed every month or so. And, fortunately, you don’t have to traipse through a scorching summer day in New York City dressed in your fur coat if you want to go – Minus5 will supply the parkas, the gloves, and all the other cold weather gear you’ll need to explore their glacial domain.

A professional photographer wanders around the bar, and you can buy those pictures from the bar if you want to share. And, I know what you might be thinking, so let me put your fears to rest – the ice couches are covered in deer skin, so your butt won’t get wet when you sit on them.